Spring scissors are devices designed for use in either hand of the operator, they consist of a pair of pivotally connected members which are resiliently biased towards an open-jaw position. They are operated by a simple squeezing action, rather than the cross-cutting type of action which is permissible with conventional scissors which are provided with finger-receiving holes in their handles. Since a cross-cutting pressure, i.e. a force exerted by each blade against the other in a direction parallel to the pivot axis, is needed for successful shearing, the design of spring scissors has to compensate for the inability to impart such pressure manually.
In known spring scissors, cross-cutting is provided by virtue of the set of the blades. The latter which are made of spring steel are curved towards each other so that the cutting edges cross one another when the scissors are in their open-jaw configuration. However, the cross-cutting pressure produced in this way may be insufficient and a means of producing additional pressure mechanically is desirable.